welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. japanese prime minister shinzo abe's approval rating has sunk to its lowest level since he took office a year ago. officials have acknowledged that they've dismissed leader kim jong-un. and one month after a super

typhoon, people in the philippines are finding it's a long way to recovery. japanese prime minister shinzo abe's a couple of weeks away from marking his first year in office. a new nhk poll suggests his popularity is the lowest it's been since he returned to the top job. our interviewers spoke to more than 1,000 people by phone. 50% said they support abe's cabinet, a drop of 10% from last month. 35% said they don't. our poll asked for feedback on the new secrecy law abe's liberal democratic party approved last friday. the law gives the government more power to what people can and can't know. 58% of respondents said they disapprove of the law, 32% say they approve of it. 59% say discussion of the bill by diet members wasn't sufficient. 8% said lawmakers had a thorough

discussion. 74% of respondents said they are worried the law may infringe on the public's right to know. abe spoke on monday and addressed the criticism over the new law. >> translator: i sincerely recognize the citizens' severe criticism as a reprimand. i should have taken more time to explain the bill, but the problem lies in the fact that we lacked rules to decide what constitutes a secret and how to keep secrets classified. >> the results of our latest poll could give the prime minister something to think about as he plans his next policy moves. nhk world part of our team, why do you think so many people believe prime minister abe rushed this bill through? >> the prime minister saw the bill as inseparable from the

national security council. government leaders have argued that they needed an organization that would enable them to make decisions on security and diplomacy quickly. they modelled the council on the one in the u.s. the nsc will coordinate intelligence among ministries and agencies and take a central role in crisis management. members held their first meeting last week. the council will collect and analyze highly classified information received from the u.s. and other countries. to do this, abe needed to show japan's allies that the government can be trusted to protect such information. abe wanted to push this before the diet session ended last week. opposition members demanded more time for discussion. the ruling party extended the session for two days, then went ahead with the vote. >> why are so many lawmakers opposed to the law? >> many lawmakers say the law

gives the government too much power to decide what the public can and can't know. they argue that the definition of a state secret has become too vague and too broad. many voters had grown tired of the cycle of unstable politics they've seen for years. that came to an end when they handed abe control of the upper house in an election in july. the ruling coalition now has control of both houses and can push through policies without worrying about the opposition. but this poll suggests voters may not support this kind of decision making. and it suggests abe could lose public support if he takes similar approaches in the future. >> and that was nhk world. members of north korea's

ruling party have confirmed that something that's been rumored for days, they announced that the uncle of leader kim jong-un has been dismissed. jong suntek served as vice chairman of the national defense commission and was widely seen as kim's mentor. >> north korean state-run television broadcast several photos taken during the meeting in which jong was sacked. one showed him being taken away from the venue. one newspaper reported on monday the party dismissed chung from

all posts. the decision was made at a meeting attended by kim jong-un. the north korean leader was reported as saying chung was corrupted by capitalism and indulged in a depraved lifestyle. added chung had undermined the party's authority over judiciary, prosecution, and public security organizations said he had done serious harm to the party's policies and its measures to defend people. the newspaper pointed to chung's initiative to promote foreign investment in the country. it said he had thrown the country's fiscal management system into turmoil and put the precious resources at low prices. the party said purging chung and its synthesizers has dealt a blow. north korea's announcement drew

surprise from around the world. we asked an expert on politics in the north about development in the secretive country. >> translator: the north korean leadership confirmed the dismissal after making careful procedural arrangements in a very formal manner. it is safe to say that chung has been completely removed from the center of power. in other words, he has been dismissed from the government and lost his party membership. the leadership made it certain chung will never again get near the inner circle of authority. there will be little damage to the kim dynasty, as chung is only a relative by marriage to the north korean leader. he formerly yielded power as husband of the sister of late leader kim jong-il. there has, however, been no

sighting of her, who suffers from ill health for the past three months. her current status will have had a significant effect of the distribution of power in the upper echelons of authority in the north. there's only a small part of chung's dismissal shaking the north korean government. it is safe to say chung has deep ties to china, but the promises he recently garnered from china haven't come to anything. he was far from being a key figure in relations with south korea. his absence will not stop economic reform and openness. in fact, chung may be used as a convenient scapegoat if any of these moves have negative consequences in the near future. a people tested by politics and history. innovators whose technologies spread around the world. artists who capture imaginations of audiences everywhere. these are the faces of south korea. nhk world updates you on what's

happening wednesday and thursday here on "newsline." a commuter train and a truck carrying gasoline collided near the indonesian capital of jakarta. at least four people have been killed. the collision occurred at a crossing in the city. the truck was carrying 24,000 liters of gasoline. it exploded in flames. the railway operator says at least four people have been killed and about 90 others injured. a local tv station quoted witnesses as saying the crossing gate was not lowered on one side of the tracks. hundreds of riders have set fire to police vehicles in singapore after a bus hit and killed a bangladeshi worker. 18 people, including police, were injured. mainly foreign workers rioted on sunday night. the district is populated by indian and bangladeshi workers.

police and security forces were deployed to contain the riot. 27 people were reportedly arrested. observers say an increasing number of foreign workers are unhappy about how they are being treated by their employers. last year bus drivers from china staged a massive strike. rioting is rare in singapore. people in the central philippines are piecing together their lives. one month ago, an unprecedented storm wiped out parts of their homeland. ty typhoon haiyan killed nearly 6,000 people. tens of thousands are living in the ruins. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: this is the biggest city on the island, one of the hardest hit areas. mountains of debris are everywhere along the coast. infrastructure, such as electricity and water is heavily

damaged. some of it is totally destroyed. >> translator: some people are back at work, but only about 30%. we don't even have electricity. >> reporter: the markets are up and running. for those with cash, there's plenty of food, but wherever we go, you see long queues. survivors wait to receive some of the international aid that's finally arrived. most people have nothing. the residents of this village used to be carpenters, farmers, and fishermen, but one month after the typhoon hie -- haiyan, they now find themselves working for cash for work programs. she has a temporary job, she's been hired and clears debris for eight hours and gets paid about $2.50.

she had a small house and a shop downtown. the day before the typhoon, her husband told her to evacuate with her children. he said he would look after the shop. she returned four days later to find nothing left but the foundation. >> translator: this is all that's left. my husband was swept away by the waves. >> reporter: she has built a shelter on the outskirts of t k tacloban out of debris she found. she lives with her two daughters, who cry for their father. >> translator: i need to get a proper job. my children need to go to

school. that's all i want. >> reporter: the majority of people here are christians. many say that this year they don't have the means to celebrate christmas. they are only at the beginning of a long road to recovery. charmaine degrasias, nhk world, tacloban. transpacific partnership talks are underway in singapore. >> member countries have will really been hoping to have the talks done by year's end. there's quite a few issues where compromise is proving to be pretty elusive. trade ministers of the transpacific partnership member nations are trying to clinch a deal in singapore and narrow their differences, especially on issues about intellectual property.

ministers from the 12 participating countries continued on the third day of negotiations on monday. u.s. officials are trying to strengthen intellectual property. they remain wide apart on the issue. the ministers are racing against time to strike a deal before they wrap up the talks on tuesday. earlier in the day, japanese senior vice minister of the cabinet office and u.s. trade representative michael froman unofficially met. details of the meeting have not been made public, but the officials are believed to have failed to reach an agreement on market access and other related issues. singapore's prime minister is urging japan to abolish tariffs on all products being discussed in the tpp talks. li made the comments in an exclusive interview with nhk. >> from the point of view of most of the countries, approach taken in the tpp is that all tariffs are included and

eventually you will be at zero tariffs and there are no exclusions. >> japan is hoping to maintain tariffs on five key farm products, including rice and wheat. li asked japanese trade officials to compromise in order to reach a final agreement, and it's not only japan li is asking for flexibility. >> we have to be practical and to make adjustments in order to get a good outcome. if we insist on a perfect outcome, i think that may be very difficult. >> he is stressing every country involved in the tpp talks should be willing to give in to meet the deadline. wikileaks has released what it calls secret documents by a country participating in the tpp trade negotiation. some people point out the release of the documents could influence the talks currently under way in singapore. wikileaks says on its website the documents were prepared following the talks in salt lake city in the united states last month.

wikileaks officials say they have done minor editing to protect the identity of the country that drafted the material. the documents reveal that all participating countries except japan have offered to abolish tariffs on 95% of their goods. point out that the panorama with japan, as they put it, in particular looks very difficult. the documents also note that the u.s. is exerting great pressure to close as many issues as possible. they ask, though, it may be difficult to wind up the talks successfully by the end of this month as the negotiators are hoping. the documents say some pointed out the trade officials may need to prepare for a different scenario, including a partial closure or even a failure in december. japanese government officials say they will not comment on documents released by wikileaks. a spokesperson for the u.s. trade representative office points out that the documents are not from the united states and officials do not know who prepared them or whether they are authentic.

officials say some of the content are outdated and inaccurate. well, looks like people in japan are more upbeat about the economy. a government survey says among japanese workers has improved for the first time in two months. researchers asked more than 2,000 people nationwide how they feel about the economy compared with three months ago. the survey results released on monday show that the november index for the current state of the economy stood at 53.5%. that's a gain of 1.7 points from the previous months. it does suggest the economy is flat. respondents to this work in retail, restaurants, as well as other sectors that are sensitive to economic trends. many other respondents said that home appliances and cars are really selling well ahead of the consumption tax hike next april. workers at many factories say they are receiving more orders. we also got news on the index for the business outlook. it rose 0.3 points to 54.8.

that makes for the third safe monthly rise. this reflects optimistic views for the year end shopping season. the cabinet office also upgraded its economic assessment. it previously said the economy is recovering steady. many respondents do expect demand to rise ahead of the consumption tax hike but some people are already voicing concern consumption could fall after that. on to the markets now, investors around the world encouraged by chinese trade data. they believe export numbers showed a pickup and the upward momentum is somewhat overshadowed of the fed may scale down its asset buying program. london down, frankfurt a gain of .1 of a percent. in asia, markets advance for the

most part. tokyo's nikkei saw a 2.3% gain. that's the biggest daily advance since early september. a weaker yen boosted a wide range of shares today. also news about political happenings helped mumbai and bangkok shares. pro business party will take power next year following recent wins in state polls. the dissolution of thailand's parliament pushed higher there. dollar/yen is trading in a pretty tight range right now about 103.07. before that, though, a focus is on what a fed official will say regarding current conditions of the u.s. economy, as well as on the fed's monetary policy. james bullard is scheduled to speak later on in the day. okay, that is going to do it for

biz tonight. i'll leave you with a check of the markets. west japan railway has unveiled a new train that will make rail travel safer for some of japan's millions of commuters. the train automatically detects and reports emergencies on the tracks. the train safety system detects dangerous operating conditions and applies the brakes when necessary. it also sends wireless signals to other trains to prevent collisions. the company developed the system after a derailment in 2005 that

killed more than 100 passengers. in the accident, the emergency wireless signal equipment failed to function. >> translator: we've put every available safety measure into this train, and we will continue to try to add improvements. >> the company plans to begin running the new train in the spring along the sea of japan coast. more than 50 heads of state or government are to attend a memorial service for former south african president nelson mandela. among those taking part is u.s. president barack obama. japan's crown prince will also be at the ceremony. the prince will be the first imperial family member to attend a funeral or a memorial event overseas for a nonroyal. the crowned prince is accompanied by the former prime minister, who will attend the

service as a special envoy. they left tokyo aboard a government plane on monday afternoon. the prince will arrive in johannesburg on tuesday morning. there's a severe winter storm in eastern united states, and here's our meteorologist robert speta with the details. robert, how bad is the situation? >> well, gene, this past weekend many people without power, all the way from texas, extending up into new england. today, it does look like the worst of it is in new england, but you're seeing icing all the way across the appalachian mountains here and this is cause for at least 2,000 flights to be cancelled. anybody traveling, it has been a rough go. you see the cloud cover, most of this down towards the south now starting to switch over to rain, including those in and around washington, d.c., extending off to the north, into new york. still seeing icing in the early morning hours, but by the time the early morning commute, much

could be rain, so widespread icing, heavy snowfall north of that, in quebec, up to 15 centimeters of snow accumulation could be occurring here on monday. after the snow pushes away towards the northeast, cold air mass coming in behind it. see these areas in the blue where the lake effect starts to kick up and that's going to be dropping heavy snowfall, as well. look at the temperatures out here, winnipeg, minus 22 for your high, denver minus 7, oklahoma city, minus 4, then your three-day forecast doesn't change very much. winnipeg, minus 22 all the way across the board there. denver, looks like you're warming up comparatively, only freezing there on your tuesday and wednesday. talk about snow in the americas, we were talking about lake effect. we have sea effect here in japan. only difference is, it's coming over the sea. we have this low pressure area. that's going to usher in. right now that's bringing heavy

rainfall, about 120 millimeters could be falling there. out ahead of it, strong southerly winds, 100 kilometer per hour winds is going to be ushered in with this. tokyo, high of 18 on tuesday, but see here that passes by, the cold air mass comes in from the northwest, temperatures will be dropping off by wednesday, then the sea effect snow starts to set up yet again. talking about the tropics, tropical cyclone down here spinning in the bay of bengal, moving off towards the north very slowly right now. i know last week we were worried about this one impacting the indian coastline. right now, though, winds up to 120, gusting to 145 kilometers per hour. it's expected to weaken. that's the good news. these are things these storms do not nice, cooler sea surface temperature, and it just weakens out and moves towards the

northwest. still going to see some of these outer rain bands, so don't be surprised if you get some showers and some coastal flooding. definitely large waves out of this. let's talk about what's going on in europe. several low pressure areas, one in eastern europe. this is going to bring another shot of snowfall to our south. turkey over the weekend, you saw pretty significant totals here in the northern portions of the balka balkans. high pressure dominating western europe, and that's the big topic out here. decent weather, but that high is going to buffet a low pressure area towards the north. so what we're seeing is persistent gusty winds across much of scotland, heavy rain showers, and you've got the snowfall into the scandinavian peninsula. warm and sunny to the west, to the east, cold and snowfall on your monday. that's a look at your world weather. here's your extended forecast.

and finally, people crowded into a shrine near tokyo to watch a dramatic race to the top. the ritual dates back more than two centuries and involves horses, hunters, and firearms. about 40 hunters fired blank shots along the approach to the shrine. they tried to scare two sacred horses up the steps, a 50-meter climb. people say if the animals get to the top, it's a promising sign for safe hunting and a good harvest. and this year, some horses made it. >> translator: i think good things will happen next year, as it's the year of the horse. and that's "newsline" for

this hour, i'm gene otani in tokyo. >> tensions rise in the ukraine

capital. the lyrical unrest continues to grip the country -- political unrest continues to grip the country. protests on the streets of thailand despite the fact that the prime minister has called for snap elections. french troops begin to disarm fighters in the central african republic, the country hit by an outburst of deadly sectarian violence. those are the headlines on "france 24." thanks for joining us. tense scenes on the streets of the ukraine capital.